Royal Profile: Princess Marie-Christine of Belgium

Princess Marie-Christine Daphné Astrid Elisabeth Léopoldine of Belgium was born 6 February 1951, the elder daughter of King Leopold III & Princess Lilian in Laeken, Belgium. Her godparents were:

  • King Baudouin I (her elder half brother)
  • Infanta Maria Cristina of Spain 

When she was barely 9 years old, she received her 1st Holy Communion and Confirmation  in May 1962 {Source}.

She has been married several times. First, she married Paul Drucker in May 1981, and it lasted on 40 days, although they weren't formally divorced until 1985. Her second marriage was to   Jean-Paul Gourges in 1989.  Presently, she resides in California with her second husband.

Of all of King Albert II's family, his younger sister has to be the most controversial. She has previously made claims of being raped and beaten, and has lived a jet-set life. When she was a guest in a Belgian Embassy abroad, Marie-Christine refused to drink to her brother Baudouin saying "He is not my King". In 1993, when her brother Baudouin I died, she did not attend the funeral. On 17 April 2007, in a rare interview, she said “abolishing the monarchy might prove to be of benefit to Belgium”{Source}. The princess did not attend the funeral of her brother Alexander in December 2009.

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